8th Grade Social Studies - Summit Hill



Welcome to the 8th Grade ELA “Learning Lab”

Ms. Beck & Mr. Cronin

Email: vbeck@, kcronin@

Ms. Beck’s Newsletter (Online) MsBecksnewsletter.



Ms. Beck’s Newsletter is the best way to stay abreast of classroom happening and lessons. Homework, notes, assignments and resources are here to support students throughout the year. Your child is expected to visit this site on a regular basis. It is also a great way for parents to get a glimpse what’s happening in our Learning Lab.

Classroom Policies:

▪ Be RESPONSIBLE.

▪ Be RESPECTFUL.

▪ Be SAFE.

▪ ALL students come prepared to class. (Materials, books, tools, resources)

▪ Classwork is essential to academic growth. These assignments evaluate students understanding in the process of learning and drive future teaching and learning. Such assignments are referred to as “formative assessment”. These may be recorded in the online gradebook; however, they do not impact final grades. Students complete most learning tasks in school, but they are responsible to complete some tasks on their own time: at home, in the school library, or during Academic Assistance. COMPUTER ACCESS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR STUDENTS. If your child does not have internet access at home, they have the option to stay after school for Academic Assistance and work in the school library. The public library also has computers students can use free of charge. (There is a fee to print documents.)

▪ Assessments are always announced in advance. All work, daily and weekly, is posted and reviewed with students at the beginning of class. Students are guided/required to record this information in their assignment notebooks. Every summative assessment is announced in advanced. The purpose of such assessments determine student mastery of a set of predetermined learning objective will occur throughout the quarter. These assessments are referred to as “summative assessments”. Student performance on summative assessments reflect students’ level of mastery, and therefore, represent the grade earned in class.

Required Daily Materials

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o 1 ENGLISH SPIRAL

o 1 READING SPIRAL

o LOOSE LEAF PAPER

o NOTECARDS

o HIGHLIGHTERS/WRITING UTENSILS

o INDEPENDENT NOVEL

o FLASHDRIVE

Curriculum Overview

Language Arts is broken down into two disciplines, reading and writing. The following is a very brief overview:

Reading (Collections text, Close Reader and Performance Assessment workbooks)

▪ The reading curriculum will consist of the literature text, independent readings, novels, and essays.

▪ Active Reading, annotations, and literary analysis are cornerstones of our curriculum. Students develop and refine these skills flexing their “reading to learn” skills.

Language (Writing and Grammar text and workbook and Vocabulary Workshop workbook)

▪ The language curriculum offers extensive opportunities to develop the skills necessary for writing for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, paragraph writing, extended response, free writes, timed writing, creative writing, and essay writing.

▪ Writing Tools, PowerWriting, and direct grammar instruction support writing development across the curriculum.

Vocabulary (Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop)

▪ Vocabulary is a bridge between reading and writing. Students will learn study skills, engage in word study, and develop sentence structure while applying grammar within the context of vocabulary application.

▪ The vocabulary workbook is a tool to support instruction of context clues and comprehension while building vocabulary. Assessments of vocabulary include the evaluation of word usage, spelling, and grammar application through the process of dictated sentences.

Classroom Expectations

Be Responsible

▪ arrive on time

▪ be ready with materials

▪ have all assignments on time and turned in

▪ ask for help when you don’t understand

▪ obtain missing assignments/work when absent

▪ keep all areas clean

▪ work to strengthen accountability

Be Respectful

▪ use conversational tone, volume, and appropriate language

▪ respect personal work area

▪ respect property of others

▪ collaborate with helpful intent

Be Safe

▪ maintain positive decision making skills

▪ act with positive intention

▪ transition with care

▪ use materials and supplies as intended

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The Learning Lab

Our Mission Statement in Room 219

In our learning lab we have an attitude of gratitude. We collaborate with mutual respect and welcome every learner’s unique talents and ideas. With shared roles of teaching and learning, we create positive engagement built on the foundation of pre-determined learning objectives. Each learner is given academic responsibility and will take accountability for effort and behaviors in our classroom. Together, we serve one another to support and encourage academic and personal growth. Our ultimate goal: To become independent learners who offer value through contribution in communities both large and small.

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